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From the Promoter

By now, it's likely you will have heard of Jake Bugg following on from his support slots at two of last year's hottest gigs: namely The Stone Roses' miniscule secret London show at Village Underground, and a week later, Noel Gallagher's smallest ever solo performance at Camden's Dingwalls. But let's be clear: Jake Bugg is not "well connected", schmoozing his way into these advantageous situations. How could he be? He's spent most of his 18 years on this planet thus far in Nottingham, only coming to London following on from record company attention. The only thing doing the schmoozing are Jake's amazing songs.

As he shrugs: "I think Noel just got the tunes and liked what he heard."
This is true. And Noel G and The Stone Roses are not the only ones. All across the land he has been working hard, playing songs and garnering new converts wherever he goes. Jake is pretty clear about what it is that is connecting with. "I don't pay too much attention to compliments," he says, "but the most common thing that people are coming up to me and saying after the gigs is that it's refreshing. It seems like every time people say guitar music is dead, that's when it comes back. I think people are hungry for it. And I hope that more people start picking up the guitar instead of wobbling on a synth."

Age "about 14", he started picking up his uncle's acoustic guitar and, having learnt other people's songs, started experimenting with his own. It didn't take long for him to start coming up with worthwhile stuff. In fact, one of the best songs on his debut album, 'Someplace' dates back to this time. A beautiful melancholic ballad, it exhibits the undeniable, natural gift for melody that characterises all of Jake's songs. He was in "a couple of bands", but it quickly became apparent to him and those around him that this was to be a solo thing. "I always wanted to do things on my own, really," he says, "and because it took off kind of quick, that's how it ended up, thankfully."

This is key to what Jake Bugg and his songs are all about: from the rough and ready, abrasive guitars on 'Lightning Bolt' to the wise-beyond-his-years observations of 'Seen It All', to all of the other songs you can find on his debut, it's all just so natural, so real, so un-thought through, so obviously from the soul. He is the sort of artist that so many people have been yearning for, of the kind that we have not seen since. well, since the people who are currently asking him to come out on tour with them.

To put it extremely simply, Jake Bugg is the most exciting new singer and songwriter in the UK. No contest.

Promoter